


A New Beginning

by KingRPG



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-10-09 14:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10413894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingRPG/pseuds/KingRPG
Summary: What if somehow, Ludger manages to enter Rieze Maxia one year before his story takes place? Basically Ludger joins the original ToX cast in their adventures! But with Ludger entering the fray, the results will be different. Can Ludger change what will happen? Or will his appearence merely destroy what could have happened?





	1. ONE WISH

AN: Hello guys. This story was originally posted on fanfiction so I thought I'd share it over here as well.

CHAPTER 1: ONE WISH

Bisley stared at his defeated foes. None of them could oppose him. Not even the Lord of Spirits could match against him in his level 4 Chromatus state. Jude was trying to stand on his feet, but his knees were trembling. Milla Maxwell was on one knee, having to use her blade to support her. Then there was Gaius, the king of Rieze Maxia and even that proud man could do nothing to touch him. And even Ludger. Even Ludger in his level 3 Chromatus form, fighting for the little girl Elle's sake, could not even hurt him. At the moment, Ludger was on his back, defeated.

"No one will stop me from getting my wish from Origin!" Bisley bellowed, "For too long have the spirits treated as fools! But with this wish… the spirits shall finally become tools to humanity!"

"What you're doing is wrong!" Jude cried, "Spirits and humans can coexist! We just… need a little more time."

"I don't have the patience to wait!" Bisley countered, "For too long have humanity paid the price… I've sacrificed too much just so that I could get here!" Bisley then glared at Chronus, "Too long has that Spirit taunted us… taunted me! But no more!"

Bisley made his way towards the great chamber. The number on the chamber had large numbers listed as '999, 999', signifying the number of fractured dimensions that were created. If one more fractured dimension was created, it would mean humanity had failed Origin's Trial. But it was over. Bisley knew it. No one else could stop him at this point. Chronos was pinned down and now Ludger and his companions were all defeated. This was his moment. Bisley approached the great chamber and as he neared it, the chamber finally began to open.

Chronus tried to break free but he was too weak, "Damn you… humans! You have… no idea… what you're… doing! This is what… I've always feared! I was right about… you humans!"

Bisley ignored Chronus and waited for the great Origin spirit to reveal itself. The chamber's doors opened slowly, as if it was the great unveiling.

"I won't… let all of my hard work… be for nothing!" Jude screamed, finally summoning all of his strength and charging towards Bisley.

"Jude! Stop!" Milla cried.

Ludger screamed, "Don't Jude! You can't stop him!"

But both Milla and Ludger's warnings fell on deaf ears. Jude continued to near Bisley. There was no way Jude was going to let Bisley ruin everything. Everything Jude had worked on. Everything his friends had sacrificed to get them here.

Jude threw a fist and then, everything ended in a second. It was a blur. Bisley had spun around and plunged his lance through Jude's chest cleanly. No one saw how it happened. It was too quick. But now it was clear. Jude saw the foreign object in him, blood seeping out of the wound. Milla, Ludger and Gaius all stared at the scene in shock. Then Bisley swung his lance away, Jude being plucked out of the lance and crashing on the ground. Jude was not moving but his breathing was there, but very weak.

"JUDE!" Milla shrieked, running to his aid.

Finally the chamber doors opened and then a bright light popped from the opening. A second later, the bright light transformed into the shape of a boy drenched in white. This was the Great Spirit Origin.

"So this is Origin?" Bisley mocked, "I expected much more out of the spirit that created this trial." Chronus screamed in fury but could not do anything in his current predicament.

"I congratulate you for passing my trial." Origin said with a smile, "As promised in the beginning, you will now be able to make one wish and I will grant it."

"Perfect…"

Meanwhile Milla cradled Jude in her arms. He was still alive but his life was sweeping away fast. The wound on his chest was a fatal one. Milla called for 'The Four' to heal Jude, but it was proving futile at this point. The Lord of Spirits desperate pleas for Jude to stay alive was not changing anything. She recalled back to the time they first met at Fennmont. How she kept telling Jude to 'go home'. Now she was glad he never did. All of the precious memories she made with Jude was flashing back in her eyes.

Ludger was stunned. He was numb. He could not feel anything. He was at a breaking point. He lost his beloved older brother, Julius, just so that he could get here. He lost Elle, the person he had been taking care of and was going to die because of him using the Chromatus powers. And now, he was about to lose a friend that supported him from the beginning. Ludger's clenched fists were turning white from the pressure he was applying. He wanted to cry and yet he couldn't.

"Mi…Milla…" Jude said weakly, "You… have to stop… Bisley!"

Milla ignored Jude's words, "Jude, you're going to be alright! You hear me? You'll make it!"

"No… I can feel it… and I'm sure you know… it as well… please Milla… stop him."

Milla glared at the man that did this to the person she loved. She saw the Great Spirit Origin looking down at the Bisley in his level 4 Chromatus form. It was almost too late for Milla to intervene. Her sadness turned to anger.

Bisley made his wish, "I wish… for all the spirits… even the Great Spirits… to be bound to hu-"

Then it exploded. Bisley did not know what hit him. He was about to finish his wish with Origin when a tremendous force blew him off his feet. Bisley had to place a great effort on his feet and power to just gather his bearings and land back on his feet. Then he saw what caused it.

"Ludger?!" Bisley exclaimed with surprise. In front of him was Ludger now in his level 4 Chromatus form. But that was not all. His lance was exuding a tremendous amount of energy and was dark purple in color. His Chromatus armor was drenched with symbols he had never seen and his arms were glowing brightly in color. "What is this?! This… is even beyond a level 4 Chromatus!"

Ludger released a scream that held his entire wrath. His loss. His regret. He stored all of his energy in his right arm and hurled the lance towards Bisley. Despite Bisley's enhanced agility and reflex on his level 4 Chromatus, he never saw it coming. The lance pierced Bisley through, carrying Bisley some distance before crashing on the dimensional wall. Bisley was not dead however. His Chromatus form protected him. But for now, Bisley could not move. Not with Ludger's lance stuck inside him.

Origin shifted his attention to Ludger, "Do you have the same wish as him? Ludger Will Kresnik."

Ludger turned to the Great Spirit Origin. The boy in white. Ludger did not know what to wish for. But with Bisley out of the picture, it was open.

"No!" Bisley screamed, pulling himself off of Ludger's lance, "That is my wish!"

Gaius stepped in, drawing his katana and moving to a defensive stance, "Make the wish Ludger! I shall hold him off!"

"I will crush you!" Bisley spat.

Origin however paid no attention to the voices of others except Ludger. "So what will it be? Do you have another wish? Or will it be what Bisley wanted?"

Ludger remained silent. He could hear Bisley finally being released from the lance and engaging Gaius. He could hear Milla's cries as Jude's life was hanging by a thread. He remembered his brother and how his brother sacrificed himself so that he could be here. He remembered Elle's innocent face, now drowning with the curse of the catalyst. And he also remembered that the fate of the world rests on this one wish. There was so much he wanted. And yet he was only limited to one.

"Ludger! Hurry!" Gaius commanded as Bisley overpowered him.

"Jude! Don't! Keep your eyes open!" Milla cried out but Jude was not even responding at this point. Death would welcome him.

Ludger did not know what to do. Time was running out. Gaius was defeated now and there was nothing standing in Bisley's way. Jude's life was at end now. Finally with a decision in mind, Ludger mustered his voice and told Origin of his wish.

"I wish to change history! With everyone! To be given a second chance!"

Bisley delivered a cry of anguish as Origin smiled and opened the palm of his hands. "Very well then. I shall grant your wish."

And then, the whole world vanished in a bright light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ludger opened his eyes and found nothing. There was nothing in front of him. The entire area was white with nothing in the vast openness. Ludger checked his surroundings and realized he was alone. Ludger wondered what had happened. The last thing he remembered was his wish with Origin at the Land of Canaan and the next thing he knew, he was here. He had no memory of how he got here.

'Am I dead?' Ludger thought.

"No Ludger. This is part of your wish." A voice said from behind him.

Ludger turned around quickly and saw the Great Spirit Origin hovering above him. After regaining his shock, he asked, "What's going on? Where am I? Why are you here?"

"I cannot answer all of those questions at once." Origin replied with a smile, "But as to where this is… this is the world before it is constructed."

"…Constructed…?"

"Yes… Basically this is the dimension where your world will be created. This is all to grant your wish."

"My wish…?" Ludger thought back and then remembered his wish, "I… I asked to be given a second chance!"

"Yes… you said you wished to change history. To do that, I have reversed time so that your wish will be granted. You also added in that you wished to do so with everyone. That is why you will enter… a different world. Because a part of your wish is to change history as well." Origin explained.

"What… what do you mean?"

"Even if I am reversing time, you will not be given the life that you know. In a sense, you are still Ludger Will Kresnik but in the new world… Ludger Will Kresnik will not 'exist'." Ludger looked confused and Origin continued to explain, "What that means is that 'Ludger' will not exist. Julius will never have a little brother. Ludger will not be born in Elympios."

"You mean… Julius… won't be my brother…?"

"That is correct. 'Ludger' will cease to exist in this world… but you are still Ludger… a new Ludger." Origin paused for a while, "To fulfill your wish; that is to change history with everyone… I will be sending you in to Rieze Maxia… to a time before the schism were removed… Before Rieze Maxia and Elympios knew of one another."

"…that's the events… when Jude and the others got together…" Ludger said in realization.

Origin nodded, "Yes… this will fulfill the wish."

"But… why? You've even reversed time. Why did you do all of this?"

"I have laid down the rules Ludger. Any wish will be granted." Origin said but then smiled, "But also because I wanted to see once more… how humanity will fare this time." When Ludger looked confused, Origin explained, "Bisley's wish… was to bind all spirits under humanity. If Bisley finished, I would have no choice but to grant him that wish. However you came and made a different wish, a wish to make things right. It was a clear contrast between the wish of a person enveloped by humanity's darkest of hearts… and the wish of a warm heart. This is why humanity amuses me so."

"But… what about Chronus…? And the other Great Spirits?" Ludger questioned.

"Since I have reversed time, no one will know of the original timeline. The only ones that know… will be me, Chronus and the first Maxwell. That means… even Milla Maxwell will not be aware of this."

"…I see…"

Origin then nodded, "I want you to show me Ludger. Show me… how much humanity can create a new path for the better for all." Then before Origin sent Ludger off, Origin revealed an item in Ludger's pocket. Ludger felt the item and took it out. It was a pocket watch. "It is a gift from Chronus. As much as he hates humans, he feels… that you are better than Bisley. And to help you, Chronus has given you a new pocket watch. With this, you won't be using Elle as a conduct for your power."

"Elle… will I ever see her again? In this timeline?"

Origin said nothing and merely gave a comforting smile. Then Origin opened the palm of his hands and then, the bright light enveloped Ludger.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ludger groaned and blinked a couple of times. When his eyes adjusted to the light, Ludger found himself staring into a wooden ceiling. There were candles around to give some light, but overall the place was quite dark.

"Now where am I?" Ludger said to himself.

"How dare you enter my shrine?" A voice said with menace.

Ludger recognized that voice. There was no one else that spoke in that way. Ludger looked behind him and there she was. Milla Maxwell. This was her shrine! Ludger had somehow been teleported to Milla's shrine. And then Ludger saw the look on Milla's face. Milla's eyes were staring back at Ludger with eyes of venom. Ludger could sense the Great Spirit Efreet as well, charging a fireball.

"Well… I guess Origin was right… Milla doesn't remember me. No, to put it correctly… she doesn't even know me… yet."

CHAPTER END


	2. CHAPTER 2: THE KRESNIK VILLAGE

"Milla, wait stop! Don't!" Ludger cried, waving his arms in panic.

Milla was startled that this stranger knew her first name. The villagers at Nie Khera and Ivar, her personal handmaid, all treated her with respect and never called her by her first name. And yet, this person whom she had never seen in her life had called her by her first name. Milla mentally ordered the Great Spirit Efreet to not shoot the fireball.

"What are you doing in my shrine?" Milla questioned, "Speak quickly!"

"Lord Maxwell, should we really speak with this mortal?" The Great Spirit Efreet spoke in Milla's mind, "This mortal human has already trespassed into our shrine. Such disrespect should-"

Milla however shushed the Great Spirit. It was true that this mortal had caused some disrespect. Other than Ivar, no one else had ever entered her territory. Thus she was naturally curious as to who this person was.

Ludger sighed in relief that Milla was willing to listen. He opened his mouth and then… realized he had no either how to explain how he got here. "I… well… erm… would you believe me… if I say I don't know how… I got here?"

All of the Great Four stared at Ludger with a sweat drop. It was simply… awkward in a sense. Milla as well looked at Ludger like he was the village idiot.

"You… don't know how you got here?" Milla sighed in disbelief, "Well unfortunately, this area is off-limits for humans. You should not be here."

"But...!" Ludger was about to protest when the main entrance to the shrine opened.

Milla, Ludger and the Great Four turned to the main entrance and spotted Ivar, Milla's personal handmaid. Ludger took a while to recognize him since he had only seen Ivar in a Nie Kheran sort-of outfit once in a fractured dimension.

"Lady Milla! I heard some noises and came to investigate! Are you alri-" Ivar was saying when he spotted Ludger, "You! What are you doing here? No one but me is allowed in here!"

"I see that even you have never seen this person before." Milla said to Ivar. "I thought he was someone in the village that I've not met before."

Ivar shook his head, "No Lady Milla! He's an outsider! Even his clothing is… different! Whoever he is, he must be a danger to Lady Milla! Please let me take care of him!"

Milla considered the situation before she nodded, "Fine but do not kill him. He might be the cause of why the spirits… are vanishing."

Ivar said nothing more and moved in. Ludger sighed as he quickly drew his dual blades and Ivar engaged him. Ludger had defeated Ivar a couple of times already in his previous timeline. This should be no different. However Ludger was surprised.

Ivar was much more agile and released a fury of attacks that caught Ludger off-guard. 'That's strange.' Ludger thought, 'Ivar wasn't as fast as this. Is it because he's fighting for Milla right now? So this is how Ivar is at full power?'

Ludger also realized another fact. Ivar's fighting style closely resembled the style of Spirius's agents. However Ivar's weapons were dual daggers instead of the slightly longer dual blades. This gave Ludger a slight advantage in the fight. But in any case, Ivar was a much better match in this timeline compared to when Ludger fought him in his previous timeline.

"I don't want to fight!" Ludger said as he blocked another of Ivar's attacks, "Just let me explain!"

Ivar scoffed and thrust his dagger forward, "I won't let you harm Lady Milla! The fact that you trespassed into this holy ground is proof enough that you're a danger to her!"

"Damn it, you really are annoying!"

Ludger thus began the counter-attack. Ludger parried one attack and then suddenly took a step forward, delivering a weak tackle with his shoulder. The slight tackle cost Ivar his footing and Ludger took advantage of that, spinning around and delivering a thunderous kick across Ivar's face. The blow spun Ivar like a tornado before he fell on his back. Ludger quickly moved and stood above Ivar with his dagger just inches away from Ivar's throat.

However while most would understand that the fight was over, Milla was not well-informed to human customs. She thought Ludger was about to kill Ivar and quickly opened the palm of her right hand and have Efreet release a fireball through the palm of her hands. Ludger turned and saw a fireball two meters in diameter coming at him quickly. With such power, Ludger would no doubt be killed and Ludger quickly took out his pocket watch, transforming into his level 4 Chromatus form. The fireball blasted against the armor of the Chromatus and while it greatly hurt Ludger, his life was not in danger. Ludger took a couple of steps back and groaned in pain, feeling the burns on his chest. There were some burnt marks left on his Chromatus armor.

"Impossible…" Ivar muttered when he saw Ludger was still standing. And then he realized Ludger's appearance had changed, "Wh…what are you?!"

Milla herself was flabbergasted. "How can he still be standing?" Milla used the full powers of Efreet. It was impossible for a human to still be alive after taking a direct hit.

"That… armor…" Efreet whispered in recognition. It was not just Efreet however. Undine, Sylph and Gnome all felt a sense of nostalgia at the sight. None of the Four had seen it in such a long time.

"What's wrong Efreet? Do you know what that is?" Milla asked mentally.

Efreet slowly nodded, "I… I don't know Lord Maxwell. If that is what I think it is, then it is something I have not seen in hundreds of years."

Undine added in, "Perhaps he was telling the truth. He didn't know how he got here."

Milla nodded and turned to Ludger, "Alright, I am willing to listen to what you have to say." Milla then sheathed her sword.

Ludger was thankful Milla was finally willing to cease the fight. He deactivated his Chromatus form and the pain on his chest intensified. His Chromatus form had taken too much damage from Efreet's fireball. But he was alright. Ludger was about to speak when suddenly, he felt a knock on the back of his head. It was not too heavy of a blow but it was enough to knock him out. Ludger dropped on the ground on his front, unconscious.

"What?" Milla exclaimed in surprise, stepping forward.

Ivar appeared behind where Ludger once stood with a grin, "Thanks Lady Milla! As expected of Lady Milla, you tricked him and allowed me to take him out! So what should we do with him?"

Milla sighed and approached the unconscious Ludger. She did not plan for her handmaid to take Ludger out but perhaps this would work. She said to Ivar, "Bring him back to the village and tie his hands. We'll find out everything from him there."

"At once, Lady Milla!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In Fennmont, the grand capital of Rashugal, young medical student Jude Mathis was currently in the public library reading up on research papers for his thesis. Technically, he was already done, but he wanted to make sure there was nothing more to add to his thesis.

"Excuse me? Jude Mathis?" A soft voice said, interrupting Jude.

Jude looked up and saw it was a male student. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I know this is kind of a bad time, but I really need your help." The guy said, "You see, I've got this research paper coming up for my finals but I haven't been able to find my research partner. Professor Haus recommended you to me and… I know you've got your thesis to do but I'm at my wits end."

Jude gave a comforting smile, "Don't worry about it. I'm actually done with my thesis and just need the professor's signature. So what's your research about? Let's see what I can help you with."

And the male student quickly told Jude everything. Jude learned that the guy was in his second year at Fennmont. The student's research was in Jude's field of expertise, so Jude was able to help the student without giving him the answer.

"Wow… the professor was right about you. When he told me about you, I honestly doubted that you'd be so helpful. I mean, you having a thesis and all." The student said as he scribbled down on his notebook, "But I guess I was wrong."

Jude chuckled, "Well… I've been told that… I'm too nice sometimes. A do-gooder."

"I'm really sorry that I had to disturb you. My research partner… I don't know what happened to her. She just suddenly disappeared without a word. I haven't been able to find her."

Jude gave a light laugh, "Maybe she needed to return home for an emergency or something."

"Maybe… but I don't know. I mean, I've been hearing rumors that some students… no, not just students but people have been… disappearing?

"Disappearing…?"

The second-year student nodded, "That's what I've been hearing anyway. But maybe you're right. Maybe my research partner just needed to head home and didn't have time to tell me. Those rumors were probably just exaggerated anyway."

Jude chuckled and the two continued with the research paper. People disappearing bothered Jude, but he decided to not heed too much attention to it. Unless it concerned him, there was nothing he could do. For all he know, Jude realized that it could simply be what it was; a rumor.

Unknown to Jude, that rumor would be how he his life would change.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lady Milla…"

"Lady Milla graces us with her presence…"

That was what the whole of the villagers of Nia Khera said as they bowed in respect. Milla smiled and acknowledged the villagers as they walked through the village. It was a huge honor for all of the villagers whenever Milla would appear at the village, which was very rare. Ivar was behind her, carrying the unconscious Ludger on his shoulder. Milla spoke with the village head and was granted permission (not like the village head would refuse Milla) to use one of the empty huts for her 'interrogation'. Once they were inside, Ivar placed Ludger on a chair and tied his arms behind him and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair.

"So this is the person found trespassing in Lady Milla's shrine?" The village head asked as he entered the hut. Milla had requested that the village head be present as well.

"That's right!" Ivar said, "Honestly I'd prefer if we dispose of him quickly! How dare this… this outsider enter such holy lands! But Lady Milla requested that we speak with him."

"Ivar, wake him up." Milla ordered.

Ivar nodded and went outside the hut to grab a bucket of water. In the meantime, Milla studied Ludger. The key difference she took note of was Ludger's clothes. It was different from the villagers of Nia Khera. She had read in books that humans wore different clothing but she felt Ludger's was… a little bit too different. It did not hold the feeling that it was inspired by spirit artes or any sort. It seemed… a little out of touch.

Ivar returned a short while later with a bucket of water and dropped its contents above Ludger's head. The freezing, cold water splashed against his head and flowed down his body and soaked his shirt, instantly waking Ludger up.

"JEEZ! WHAT?! JULIUS?! HUH?" Ludger screamed, shuddering from the cold. It took him a while before he realized his hands and feet were bound. "Where am I? What… oh… right… Milla! I'm glad to see you!"

"How dare you casually call Lady Milla by her name?!" Ivar barked angrily.

"Ivar, let me handle this." Milla said and Ivar stepped aside. "Alright, I'm going to get straight to the point. Are you the cause of the spirits vanishing? Answer me."

Ludger recalled that Jude told him of how his adventures began a year before Jude met him. Jude said something about spirits vanishing so Ludger concluded this was it. "Spirit vanishing? What… no!"

"That answer doesn't surprise me. As a matter of fact, I expected it." Milla said, "I've traced the source to be somewhere south of here. So at least you're telling the truth. Now tell me. Who are you? What's your name?"

Ludger looked at Milla in the eyes and answered, "My name… my name's Ludger. Ludger Will Kresnik."

The answer had no effect on Milla but it caused Ivar and the village head to gasp in shock. What surprised Milla was that the Great Four spirits also reacted to the name.

"Ludger Will Kresnik…?" Milla repeated, thinking about it, "Hmm… I do know that the people of Nia Khera are descendants or fierce followers of the sage Kresnik. But none have that as their last name."

The village head looked at Ludger, "Indeed. We're mostly distant relatives to the Kresnik lineage… but… to think a descendant that bears the name of Kresnik… no… who are you, really?"

"How dare you use that name!" Ivar exploded, "It's bad enough you transgressed the holy shrine of Lady Milla but now you are mocking the sage Kresnik?! I've had enough of your mockery!"

"I'm not mocking you!" Ludger retorted, "That is my name! I'm not lying!"

"Ivar! Stop!" Milla commanded.

"But Lady Milla…!"

"Unfortunately I don't have the time to question him for too long." Milla said, "But I want you to make sure that he remains in the village. There are still questions that I need to ask him. For now, I need to leave Nia Khera and investigate why the spirits are vanishing. If this Ludger isn't the cause, then for now he's not too important. Finding out why the spirits are vanishing calls for my immediate attention."

"Then let me come with you!" Ivar offered, "You'll need help! And I can show you the way!"

"I thank you for your offer but I have the Great Four to assist me." Milla replied, "Don't forget Ivar. What are your two duties?"

"The first… is to serve you and only you, Lady Milla!"

"That's right… but with me gone, what is your second duty?"

Ivar paused before he answered, "To protect… the people of Nia Khera… to protect those who do not have the strength to protect themselves."

"And you will hold onto that duty until I return." Milla said, "I must go now. I need to find the answer of why the spirits are vanishing."  
Ivar wanted to protest but he nodded instead. There was nothing he could say to change his master's mind.

Milla proceeded to make her way towards the exit of the hut when Ludger called out, "Milla! Wait! Where're you going? There're still… things I need to tell you!"

Milla stopped just at the exit of the hut. Without turning to face Ludger, she answered, "Where my destination lies does not concern you. I've already wasted enough time here. I was going to leave my shrine before you appeared. Now my schedule… is slightly delayed but it does not matter. I'm leaving."

And with that Milla exited the hut. The villagers of Nia Khera all bowed in respect as Milla walked past them. She needed to act quickly. She could feel the spirits disappearing mostly in the southern direction. She summoned the Great Four and asked for Slyph to help fly Milla across the vast sea to get to her destination. Slyph naturally agreed, obeying the Lord of Spirits.

With little effort, Slyph carried Milla and started flying towards the southern direction. Milla had her mission only in her mind. She was tasked with the responsibility of watching over all kind. Now she needed to discover why spirits was vanishing. And the answer she would find would be in the south. Unknown to her, it would lie in the great city of Fennmont.

But while Milla was focused on her mission, the Four Great spirits were concerned with other matters. Specifically on the person known as Ludger Will Kresnik. All four Great Spirits however had already come to the same conclusion: it was the Chromatus power, ability only granted to the Kresnik clan… and a power granted by the Great Spirit Chronus himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile Ludger was still in the same hut in Nia Khera, tied to the chair. The village head was gone, probably to tend to other matters. Ivar however was still in the hut, fuming that Milla had not taken him with her and that he had to keep watch over this 'outsider'.

"I'd just take you out but you're lucky Lady Milla is willing to show you mercy." Ivar said, "First trespassing into Lady Milla's shrine and then besmirching the Kresnik name. How dare you?!"

Ludger sighed, "You're still as annoying even before joining the Spirius Corporation huh?"

"Huh? Don't talk as if you know me! And what's this Spirius Corporation? Maybe I can understand why Lady Milla took pity on you. You're a madman!"

Ludger ignored the insult and decided he needed to escape from here. He needed to follow Milla. While he had a general idea of what happened with Jude, Milla and the rest of them a year before meeting him, he never had the full details. If he did not catch up to Milla now, he'd not be able to help them and he would lose track of them.

"Hey… where's Milla headed to?" Ludger asked.

Ivar shrugged, "She mentioned south of here. That's probably… somewhere in Rashugal. Perhaps Sharilton or Fennmont or something."

"Fennmont… that's the place where Jude studies… that must be where they met!" Ludger said. He quickly started struggling against the rope, moving back and forth.

"Hey what are you doing? You're trying to break free in front of me?" Ivar drew out his daggers, "I know Lady Milla told me not to harm you but if you try to escape, I'll have no choice but to hurt you. I'll even kill you if you harm the village!"

"I don't have time for this! I need to get to Milla! I need to help them! Let me out!"

"Stop! I'll seriously hurt you if you don't stop!"

Ludger knew Ivar was not joking. Ivar took his job seriously, that was one thing that Ludger had to give the guy credit for. But his time was running out. Ludger had no doubts Milla probably used one of the Great Spirits to take her to Fennmont. That meant she would arrive in less than a day. Ludger would have to take a ship at the Aladhi Seahaven and then go through Sharilton and Fort Gondala before he could arrive at Fennmont. It would be at least a two day's journey but Ludger had to try. He could not lose track now. He was given a second chance in this world. A chance to make things right!

Ivar noticed that the rope was starting to become undone and Ludger was not stopping his struggles. "Forgive me Lady Milla." Ivar whispered and raised his dagger, "But I cannot have him let loose in the village!"

Ludger saw the dagger coming down at him, "Oh crap!"

Just as Ivar was about to take Ludger's life, Ivar suddenly collapsed on the ground. Ludger cried out in surprise and saw a figure in front of him. And Ludger's eyes widened in shock. He had not expected to see him here. Hell, Ludger would prefer not to see him.

"What are you doing here?!" Ludger demanded, "So I guess you're just here to finish me off?"

The mysterious figure shook his head, "No… believe me, I despise you. But… I'm here to help you. Because 'he' requested it."

Ludger could scarcely believe his ears.

CHAPTER END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hope you guys liked how I'm taking this story :D


	3. A DIFFERENT MEETING

“Help me?” Ludger said in disbelief, “All you’ve been doing is trying to stop me and my friends from passing Origin’s Trial! And now you’re telling me you want to help me?”

Chronos held his anger in check and responded, “I never said I’m helping you willingly. This is because Origin himself requested that I assist you get to Fennmont. Apparently… Origin made an error… and teleported you at the young Maxwell’s shrine. Obviously the meeting with Maxwell did not bode well… since you’re tied up here.” 

“So… the Great Spirit Origin… wants to help me.”

“Only this once because he made a slight error.” Chronos corrected, “Do not misunederstand, Ludger Will Kresnik. Origin still wishes to witness humanities path. He will interfere no more than this. And my opinions of you humans have not changed. If it was not for Origin himself, I’d have left you to rot.”

“You hate us humans… but you care so much for Origin that you’d actually help a human?” Ludger asked.

Chronos stared at Ludger for a while before he answered, “Yes. I will do what Origin asks of me, even if it is to help you. But I will admit that you are one of the better humans that I have encountered. After what Bisley had done… how he almost succeeded in binding all spirits to humans… you stopped him. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t even be here. For that, I will give you humans some credit. You’re not all alike… but even then, you’re all still bound to the same weaknesses. No matter how ‘good’ a human is, he will have his moments of weakness. And I’m sure I’ll see that in you Ludger. I know I will.”

“…Then I hope you’ll be watching me. Because I’ll prove you wrong.”

For the first time, Chronos smiled in the conversation, “Interesting. Then I hope you won’t disappoint.” Chronos then appeared behind Ludger, cutting the ropes, “In any case, we should go. I’ll help bring you to Fennmont. After that, you’re on your own.”

Ludger stood up and felt his wrists. They were tied quite tightly with the ropes and there were some marks left. Ludger picked up his dual blades and approached Chronos. Chronos read Ludger’s mind and the Great Spirit snapped his fingers. A small portal opened above Chronos’s fingers and then Ludger’s dual handguns appeared as well as his sledgehammer. Ludger gladly accepted them.

“There is one more thing that I will be assisting you with.” Chronos said and then pointed at Ludger’s pocket, “Give me your pocket watch.”

Ludger handed Chronos the item. Chronos held the pocket watch with his right hand and then poured some of his spirit into it. Then he handed the item back to Ludger. 

“With this, you don’t have to worry about becoming a catalyst.” Chronos explained, “I’ve removed that from your pocket watch.”

Ludger’s eyes widened in surprise, “…Why?”

“…Consider it as my thanks for saving all spirits from being bound to humans.” Chronos replied. 

For a moment, Ludger saw a hint of a smile on Chronos but it was gone. He probably imagined it. “I have one question.” Ludger asked.

“What is it?”

“…Will… will I ever meet Elle in a year from now? Will I even meet the ‘other’ Milla?” Ludger asked.

Chronos blinked and did not answer for a while. After a long pause, Chronos gave his answer, “I don’t know. This… is a new timeline. With you appearing in this world where the schism was not yet destroyed… there will be drastic changes.”

Ludger nodded in understanding. The ‘other’ Milla… he wanted to see her. But, maybe it was best he never met her. Her inevitable fate to be disappear would be too much of a painful experience to bear again. However, he hoped he would see Elle. He missed her. Chronos and Ludger then moved towards the entrance of the hut. The villagers were still lively outside so they could not just exist the hut.

“So, how do we get to Fennmont?” Ludger questioned.

“Unlike the young Maxwell, I do not have to resort to flight.” Chronos explained and then faced Ludger. “Grab my hand. I’ll teleport you there instead.”

Ludger reluctantly held Chronos’s hand. And then in an instant, the two vanished, never leaving any trace of their presence in Nia Khera.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jude Mathis sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time for the last two hours. He was so excited when he learned that Professor Haus would be awarded the Howe prize. He tried to enter the Laforte Research center to find Professor Haus but the guards refused him entry. Even worse, they insisted Professor Haus had left and showed a checklist that had Professor Haus’s signature stating that he left. But Jude knew the signature was a fake. It almost fooled him but Jude saw certain errors. Now he really needed to enter the research center but with the guards blocking the entrance, Jude saw no way in.

“I’ll just wait when the guards change shift. There should be a window of opportunity then.” Jude decided.

Jude hung around the area, standing close to the railing. He admired the peaceful waters, the beauty of appreciating such a simple part of nature. It gave him a peace of mind. While Jude’s eyes swam across the area, he spotted something peculiar. Under the Laforte Research center building is the sewerage but Jude saw that one of the sewer entrances had been opened. Or to be accurate, it seemed like there was an explosion. 

‘Was there always such an opening?’ Jude thought, ‘No, I don’t think so. But when did that happen? Hey, maybe I can sneak in through that opening!’

Jude never got to make his decision. The Laforte Research center suddenly started delivering a red alert, the alarm crying. The guards at the entrance stared at one another before the two entered the building. Several more guards from outside the building started making their way in.

“There’s an intruder!” A voice shouted from inside the building.

“Find the intruder!” Another voice ordered.

There were now no more guards watching the entrance. Some of the people nearby started moving out of the area, afraid they would get caught in the conflict. Jude however, saw this as his one and only opportunity. Jude checked his left and right, making sure no one was watching. Then, he dashed into the building. All he needed to do was search for Professor Haus. He had no interest in being found by the guards or the intruder.

‘Where could Professor Haus be?’ Jude thought while making sure he avoided detection.

Jude could hear the guards barking orders a distance away and then listened to their footsteps getting farther and farther. He found it fortunate that the intruder was far from where he was. This allowed him to explore the building safely. He entered one of the rooms but found no sign of Professor Haus. He moved to the next room and repeated this process for the next three rooms. He was growing much more frustrated and entered the fourth room.

Jude sighed in frustration when the fourth room did not have Professor Haus, “He’s not here as well. Where could he be?”

Jude exited the fourth room and was confronted by two guards.

“What the? Who are you? What’re you doing here?!” The guard on the left cried out, pointing his spear at Jude.

“Oh crap!” Jude raised his hands in surrender, “Wait, I’m not the intruder. I’m just here looking for Professor Haus!”

The guard on the right joined his partner, “You’re a citizen! You shouldn’t be here! Get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving until I find Professor Haus! I know he’s in here!”

The two guards moved in and thrust their spears, stopping right before Jude’s eyes, “You are unauthorized to be here! If you do not obey our orders, we will use force!"

Jude refused to budge however. The two guards decided to apprehend Jude, but suddenly a figure behind him leaped in the air and kicked the guard on the left in the face, incapacitating the man. The remaining guard thrust his spear toward the assailant but he missed his attack. The unknown figure quickly delivered a clean cut across the man’s chest, defeating him. Jude was too surprised to act and the unknown person now shifted her focus to him.

“Wait, wait! I’m not one of the guards!” Jude said, raising his hands again. “I’m just looking for my Professor!”

The unknown woman, Milla, had her blade pointed towards Jude, “An unarmed citizen? You shouldn’t be here then.”

“Are… are you the intruder the guards are talking about?”

Milla sheathed her sword, “Yes. Unless they meant you but the fact that the guards of this facility are looking for me should mean that I’m the intruder.”

“What are you doing here?”

“That is none of your concern.” Milla replied as if a mother speaking to a child, “You should go home. This place is going to be dangerous for an unarmed human.”

“I can’t.” Jude stated, “I’m here to find… to find someone. I know he’s still here!”

Milla shook her head, “It is too dangerous. If you insist on staying here, then you’ll have to do so of your own volition. I have my own reason for being here.”

Milla started walking away and Jude did not know what to do. He wondered if he should follow her. But then, he still needed to find Professor Haus. Jude was about to go his separate way when more of the Laforte Research guards appeared.

“There’s the intruder!” One of the guards shouted.

“It looks like there are actually two of them!” Another added in, referring to Jude.Jude turned and saw at least six more guards coming at him. 

“Oh great…” Jude moaned and quickly brought up his fists. He might have been just a medical student but he was trained in martial arts. It was time he put it to good use.

Jude started fighting the guards and despite his lack of experience as well as fear for his life, he fought well. Milla stopped moving and turned to Jude’s fighting. It wasn’t Jude’s fighting skills that caught her attention. It was what the guard had said when they spotted Jude.

“Lord Maxwell, what’s wrong?” Efreet asked in Milla’s mind.

“Those humans… they assume the young human over there is associated with me.” Milla responded.

“Then does that not work in our favor, Lord Maxwell? He’s distracting them for us.” Undine remarked.

Milla shook her head, “No. If he is harmed because of me, it will be my fault. I’ll take responsibility for his safety.”

Thus, before any of the Great Spirits could dissuade Milla, the Lord of Spirits ran back to assist Jude. She moved in and stabbed one of the guards in the back, killing him quickly. The remaining five guards focused their attention towards her.

“Move into formation!” One of the guards commanded, “There are two of them! Don’t lose focus!”

Jude was surprised to find Milla came back to help. All of the guards concentrated focus on Milla, ignoring Jude. Milla however simply ordered the two Great Spirits, Efreet and Sylph, to combine their artes. A miniature whirlwind of fire appeared, burning three of the guards. The remaining two guards started to retreat in fear, but Jude intercepted them, so that they could not call for reinforcements. Jude delivered a swift palm strike on one of the guard’s chest and the other guard received a kick on the neck. Both guards were knocked out swiftly.

“Are you hurt?” Milla asked.

Jude shook his head, but his hands and knees were trembling. It was his first actual combat. “N-no… I’m fine…”

“Asking you to go home now is quite pointless.” Milla concluded, “The guards spotted you and would probably assume you’re an accomplice. 

“I… I just want to look for the Professor.” Jude said in exasperation.

“I cannot guarantee whether we’ll locate your friend. But, if you get hurt, that will be my fault and I won’t have that. Come with me. I can protect you, so long as you don’t slow me down.”

Jude stared at the woman for a moment and then he nodded, “Yeah… okay…” 

Milla nodded and started walking, “Now let us make haste. I have my own objectives being here… and I’d prefer to not have those human guards try to stop us again.” 

Undine looked at Jude, judging the boy and then spoke in Milla’s mind, “Is it wise to have this boy accompany you, Lord Maxwell? He’s cowering like a frightened cat.”

“He’s just a young human after all. And it is my fault that the guards attacked him. I’ll make sure that he’s safe. I swear my name as Maxwell on that.” Milla said with resolve.

Jude and Milla continued exploring the research lab, avoiding detection to the best of their ability. They had to hide in a room occasionally as guards roamed past. It was in one such room that Jude realized he did not learn of his partner’s name yet.  
Jude cleared his throat, catching Milla’s attention, 

“Erm… you know, I thought we should at least introduce ourselves… you know, since we’re going to be working together. I’m Jude Mathis.”

Jude then offered his hand. Milla stared at Jude’s hand for a while and awkwardly shook it. “I see… so this is how humans introduce themselves.”

“Huh?”

Milla smiled and shook Jude’s hand, “I’m Milla Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile King Nachtigal was in the throne room, staring out at the night-clime. His advisor, Gilland, stood next to him, ready to serve the king’s every need. Nachtigal was thinking through his life, his time in the military and bonding with his fellow brother-in arms, hoping to survive the next battle. He remembered one special friend he had in the military. But he had not heard of him ever since he had become king of Rashugal. 

Nachtigal had taken rash actions ever since becoming king. He had ‘removed’ anyone that could have been a threat to his rule. Some called him a cruel man for doing so but in his eyes, he saw it as a lesser of two evils. When his father passed away, the civil war that was known as the ‘Sleepless Nights’, broke out. It was a war for succession of the throne. That war caused countless deaths and the people were the ones that suffered the most. When Nachtigal ascended the throne, he swore to never allow Rashugal suffer the same, pointless war over the throne. And thus, he ordered anyone with influence or power to be executed. It hurt him that some of these noblemen were good-natured but he could not risk it. In a short while, no one else held any threat to the throne.   
Nachtigal wondered though, if what he did was right. Did the ends truly justify the means? Was he not right? Gilland and countless others have told him he had to do. But, the only words that could tell Nachtigal whether what he did was right or wrong would have been his best friend. But, he did not know where he is. And now, he did not need him. He would rule with what he deemed was right.

The silence of the throne room was broken when the palace guards’ barged in. “Your highness!” The captain of the palace guard cried, “We have a problem!”

“What could be a cause of alarm that would need the king’s personal attention?” Gilland questioned with a hint of anger in his voice. Nachtigal had to agree with Gilland’s choice of words.

The palace guard captain bowed in apology, “I beg your pardon! But, an intruder has been detected in the Laforte research center!”

Both Gilland and Nachtigal were instantly brought to attention. “What’s the situation?” Gilland demanded.

“We don’t have the full details, but-”

Nachtigal interrupted the captain of the palace guards, “There’s no need. If there’s an intruder at the Laforte center… then that means the person is after one thing.” He then turned to Gilland, “Gilland! Come… we’re going to attend to this matter… personally!”

“At once, your majesty!” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jude and Milla had done a great job of avoiding detection. However, Milla was annoyed that having to use stealth was wasting her time. She needed to find what was causing the spirits to die. She could hear the spirits cries before their death and right now, this research center was the loudest. She knew it was here but so far, she had not found the cause. 

“It… must be tough to have the same name as the Great Spirit Maxwell, huh?” Jude said. It was more of a statement than a question.

“What are you talking about? I am the Great Spirit Maxwell.” Milla replied without turning to Jude.

Jude chuckled, thinking it was a joke. However, Milla’s serious response gave him second-thoughts. “You… you’re joking, right?”

“Why would I joke about such matters?”

Jude was now really confused, “…What…? But… can you prove it?” 

Milla sighed, “Did you not see me use the Four Great spirits in combat? Is that not proof enough?”  
“You mean… the fire artes? That means… That was Efreet? But… no one has been able to summon any of the Great Four for the past two decades! Are you saying that was because of you?”

“Yes. That’s because I summoned them to my service. I told you, I am the Lord of Spirits. They are bound to serve me.”

Jude was flabbergasted. Now that he thought about it, the spirit that used the fire artes earlier did resemble the Great Spirit Efreet. And, Milla apparently had him serving her. But, he still could hardly believe it.

“But… what’s a Great Spirit doing in human form?!” Jude asked.

Milla this time chuckled, amused at Jude’s questioning, “You humans are always so curious, aren’t you?” Jude blushed lightly as Milla continued, “As to why I took human form… there is no need for you to know that now.”

Jude nodded but he was still at a loss. He still could not believe that the Great Spirit Maxwell was before him. It was too bizarre. For now, he decided he would just follow her and see what she was up to. He still could not find Professor Haus but perhaps finding what Milla was looking for would help him find out what happened to the Professor as well.

The two continued walking for another minute or so before they came upon a large metallic door. Milla closed her eyes and could hear the spirits cries coming from beyond this door. Finally, she found it. Beyond this door was where her mission was. Before Jude could stop her, she summoned Efreet to blast the door open.

“What did you do that for?!” Jude exclaimed, staring in shock at the destroyed door.

Milla however, did not hear Jude. Her eyes were fixated at the large object in front of them. She growled in anger when she realized what it was, “So that’s the cause… a Spyrix weapon!”

Jude saw what she was looking at and his jaw opened wide. He had never seen such a thing in his life. It was huge. He could not estimate the size but it was at least the size of three houses. He approached the computers that were attached to the weapon, clicking away and trying to find out what this was. Milla, on the other hand, decided that this weapon could not exist any longer.

Jude opened a file and then a brief summary of the weapon was opened. “This weapon… it’s called… the Lance of Kresnik.” The name sounded familiar and then it hit him. “Kresnik… that’s the name of the sage of the Genesis Age! But… what’s this… thing doing here?”

“Jude, step away from that weapon.” Milla warned, summoning all of the Great Four in preparation to destroy the weapon, “I’m going to destroy this weapon! This is the weapon that’s causing the spirits to die! It must be destroyed!”

Jude obeyed. If the Lord of Spirits was going to do something, she must know something that he did not. Behind Milla, several guards had appeared after they heard Milla blasting the door open.

“Hey! What are you all doing?!” The guards cried out.

Milla cursed their arrival. “Jude! I need you to take care of them! I need to channel an arte with the Great Four together! It’s the only way to destroy such a huge weapon!”

“On it!” Jude quickly moved to cover Milla, moving into a defensive stance.

“Stop what you’re doing!” The guards commanded, thrusting a spear towards Milla.

Jude kicked the spear away and delivered a quick punch on the guard’s face, knocking him out. The rest of the guards all lunged towards Jude. His fighting stance was much cleaner this time. Despite being outnumbered, he managed to hold them off, avoiding their attacks and returning a bone-crunching attack in return. In just a minute, most of the guards were already defeated.

Jude saw more guards coming and prepared himself, “Milla! How much longer? There’re more coming!”

“Just a little bit longer!” Milla exclaimed. All of the Great Four were almost done channeling their artes.

More guards stormed the area. There were other entrances into the weapon’s room and several more guards entered through these entrances as well. Basically, Milla and Jude were now completely surrounded. 

Then, from the backlines, King Nachtigal and Gilland made their appearence. Nachtigal was right. The intruders were after his secret weapon but luckily for him, he had brought a control device to activate the Lance of Kresnik. He would use the weapon to drain their mana to stop them.

Milla and the Great Four were finally done channeling their artes. She opened the palm of both hands and aimed at the weapon, “Oh, Great Spirits! Master of the Elemenets! Muster your strength and destroy what harms our kind!”

Nachtigal activated the weapon, grinning, “I won’t let you destroy what I’ve worked so hard to create!”

Before Milla and the Great Spirits could blast their combined artes, the lance of Kresnik activated. Instantly, it interrupted them. Milla cried out in pain and the Great Four could feel their energies being drained away. Jude and the surrounding guards also collapsed to their knees, feeling their strength being sapped away.

“What… what’s going on?” Jude cried out, feeling himself grow weaker and weaker.

Milla struggled to stand, “So… that’s what the weapon does? It… drains our… mana?!” Milla tried to lift her sword, but the effort was too great and she dropped it, “Damn it… I… can’t stop… here!”

King Nachtigal and Gilland were unaffected because they were out of the weapon’s range. It was still in the early stages of development after all. The weapon’s range was still quite short and Nachtigal was quite fortunate that it was not fully developed yet. If not, the weapon’s range would have affected him, and he would not be able to use the weapon to stop Milla from destroying it.

“Who are you people?” Nachtigal demanded, “How did you find out about this weapon? Answer me!”

Milla glared at Nachtigal, “Are… you the one… responsible for this?!”

“You’re a very strong-willed woman. Most should have collapsed from the heavy burden being placed from the weapon but you’re still conscious.” Nachtigal praised.

“I… am the Lord of Spirits! I… will not… falter!” Milla cried out.

Both Nachtigal and Gilland’s eyes widened, surprised by Milla’s answer. “The Lord of Spirits? This… is the great Maxwell?” Nachtigal stated with an amused tone. “Draining the spirit of Maxwell will definitely benefit the weapon. Good… we’ve found a very good catch.”

Jude could not believe that the King of Rashugal was the one behind the weapon’s creation. While he could not say anything due to the weapon draining his mana, he was still conscious to listen to the conversation between Milla and Nachtigal. He wanted to help, but he could barely stand up at this point. 

The Four Great Spirits were also unable to help their Lord. They could not cast a single art and could not move. They were basically helpless. After a while, Undine and Gnome were sucked into the Lance of Kresnik, disappearing. Only Efreet and Sylph remained, but their time was almost up as well.

“Undine! Gnome!” Milla cried out in despair. “Damn you! How dare you!”

Nachtigal laughed, enjoying the scene before him, “To think that even the Lord of Spirits would fall to the might of the Lance of Kresnik! With this… my ambitions will come to fruition!”

“What about… your own soldiers?” Jude exclaimed, “You’re… going to sacrifice them… as well?!”

Nachtigal turned to Jude, “What do you know, boy? They’re being given a huge honor to die for their king!”

Jude gritted his teeth in anger. He could not believe a king would sacrifice his own subjects like that. A king was supposed to protect his people, not use them to fuel his own personal ambition. 

Milla could feel her consciousness fading. She could not believe she could have been defeated by human hands. But, without the Great Four to assist her and now unable to move, her defeat was now inevitable. Milla made one final desperate attempt to raise her sword and run for the machine, but the effort was too great. She collapsed instead, and time was almost up. Efreet and Sylph watched on in despair. The laughter of Nachtigal was all that Milla and Jude could hear as their deaths approached.

Just as Efreet and Sylph were about to be sucked into the weapon, an unknown figure in black appeared from the roof and landed on the machine.

“Your Majesty! Another intruder!” Gilland pointed out. Nachtigal focused on where his advisor was pointing and sure enough, there was a man on top of the weapon. 

“What? It’s okay… the weapon’s effect should start affecting him.” Nachtigal assured. But, it never did.

Ludger Will Kresnik was draped in his level 4 Chromatus form. Chronos had teleported him to the Laforte Research center in Fennmont and when Ludger heard the commotion, he simply followed the guards. He watched the whole thing happen and waited for the opportune moment to strike. He transformed into his Chromatus form to make sure the weapon’s affect would not work on him.

As Ludger raised his lance, Nachtigal’s fear was raised, “Wait… why… it’s not affecting him! Why?!”

Ludger gathered all his energy into his lance and plunged it right into the core of the weapon, “This ends here!”

Nachtigal and Gilland stared in horror as the lance penetrated the core of the machine. The machine stopped draining mana and the affects immediately started wearing off. Efreet and Sylph returned to the side of Milla, helping their lord up. Ludger jumped down from the machine and stood in front of Jude and Milla, protecting them from Nachtigal, Gilland and the guards from finishing them off.

“Tha… thank you…” Jude managed weakly. Jude tried getting up, but started falling instead. Ludger stepped in and held him, stopping his fall. Ludger pulled Jude to his feet and made sure he was alright. 

Ludger stared at Jude for a while. The last time he saw Jude, Jude was on the brink of death. He had exploded in rage but now, he was given a second chance. “It’s good to see you again, Jude.” Ludger said softly. Jude didn’t hear what Ludger say however.  
Efreet and Sylph now had a good look at Ludger. Both already knew what this meant. 

“So… that IS the old power of the Kresnik clan.” Sylph said in awe.

Efreet nodded, “A Kresnik descendant that holds that power. I have not seen it since… the schism.”

Milla and Jude were already weakened from having their mana drained but the effects would wear off with time. For now, Ludger’s focus was on Nachtigal and Gilland. Nachtigal was barely containing his rage, drawing out his sword.

“How dare you…! How dare you destroy the Lance of Kresnik!” Nachtigal bellowed.

Ludger swung his lance and moved into an offensive stance, “Come… I’ll introduce you to the power of the Chromatus!”

CHAPTER END


	4. RETREAT

All of the guards surrounded the trio of Jude, Milla and Ludger. However, after witnessing what Ludger had accomplished, none of them dared to strike first. Ludger’s Chromatus form was also a frightening sight, which further discouraged them. They simply waited for the command of their king.

Jude wondered who the stranger was. He was glad this stranger came to their rescue, but there was no explanation as to why he did so. Jude thought that he was perhaps Milla’s companion, but judging from Milla’s surprised facial expression, that was out the window as well.  
‘So who is he?’ Jude thought.

Ludger took a quick glance at Milla and Jude, “Jude… Milla… stick close to me. You guys are already drained from that weapon. I’ll handle them.”

Jude nodded, but Milla was a little stubborn. Milla’s voice increased after each line. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at Nia Khera with Ivar. Did you do something to the villagers?” 

“Ivar and the villagers are safe.” Ludger replied, “I didn’t hurt them, alright? I was trying to talk to you, remember? But you went off before I could get you to listen.”

Sylph nodded in agreement, “He did try to talk to you. Mhm. Yeah.” 

Milla ignored Sylph and drew her sword, “For now, let us deal with this situation and then we can talk.”

Ludger shook his head, “No, you and Jude are already weakened from that machine stealing your mana. I’ll create an escape path for you two.”

Milla was about to argue, but then she collapsed on one knee. She was at her limit, whether she liked it or not. Even just standing now was taking a toll on her. All she did was confirm Ludger’s words, and while it might have wounded her pride a bit, she could not argue with facts.

Jude quickly moved to Milla’s side, helping her up, “Are you okay? Can you stand up?”

Milla accepted Jude’s help and he pulled her back to her feet. “Thank you.” Milla said to Jude. She then returned to the matter at hand, “Alright, I understand. I admit, I am currently greatly weakened. But, how do you plan to defeat everyone? We’re completely surrounded.”

“It’s okay. I’ll handle it.” Ludger replied.

Nachtigal, who was watching the whole thing, swung his sword in anger, “You dare to think I’ll let any of you escape alive?! There’s no way I shall allow anyone to escape!”

With that, Nachtigal ordered all the guards to charge. Despite their fears, the guards all moved in together. Jude and Milla both prepared themselves, but the guards could see they were barely standing at that point. Ludger moved to intercept them, standing in front of Jude and Milla. He then spun around and swung his lance, releasing purple energy beam from the ground. “Hexentia!” The energy beams blasted the soldiers in all directions, sending into the air and killing most of them. In just one swift move, Ludger had defeated half of the guards. The remaining guards all stopped their assault in fear. 

Now that the guards were knocked away, there was now an escape path. Ludger turned to Jude and Milla, “Alright, go!”

Jude hesitated, “What about you?”

Ludger smiled, although no one could see that since he had the Chromatus mask on. “Don’t worry… someone needs to hold them off. I’ll find you two later.” The guards were beginning to cover their escape and Ludger took a step forward to threaten them. 

“Jude! Go! Help Milla escape!”

Jude nodded and gathered all his strength and pulled Milla with him. Some of the guards tried to block them, but Efreet released a wave of fire, blasting them out of their way. 

“Gilland! Stop them!” Nachtigal commanded, “No one leaves here alive!”

“At once, your majesty!” Gilland said. He gave a quick bow and moved to intercept Jude and Milla.

Gilland jumped into the air and released a fan of knives, all aimed towards the escaping Jude and Milla. Ludger dashed with an incredible burst of speed, knocking all of the knives away. And before Gilland could even land, Ludger appeared in front of Gilland in the blink of an eye, slashing Gilland’s left shoulder with his lance. Gilland cried in agony and retreated back to where Nachtigal was, clutching his injured shoulder.

Jude and Milla took one last glance at Ludger, and then ran out. 

Gilland got down on his knees, apologizing to Nachtigal, “I…I’m sorry to have failed you, your majesty.”

Gilland’s words failed to enter Nachtigal’s ears however. His anger was at its limit. He released a furious battle cry and drew his weapon, “I don’t know how you are, but you have foiled my plans for the last time! How dare you stand up against the King of Rashugal!” Nachtigal then gave another command, “Those two that escaped… send word for those outside in Fennmont to find them! I want them dead!”

Ludger pointed his lance at Nachtigal, “I’ll stop you here and now! I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

Nachtigal charged in, followed by all of the guards that were still standing. Ludger welcome them all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jude and Milla were currently in Fennmont’s central plaza. With no one pursuing them, Jude decided they could take a quick break. With their mana drained, exhaustion was close to overtaking them. He found a bench and took a sit. Milla also sat down.  
After about a minute of not saying anything, Jude turned to Milla, “So… who was that? A friend of yours?”

Milla shook her head, “No. If you must know, I only met him today as well. But, last I saw him, I made sure my handmaid had him strapped to a chair. It appears that he escaped and followed me here.”

“I hope he’s alright.” Jude released a tired sigh, “So, what now? The guy who saved us… it looks like he destroyed that… lance of Kresnik weapon… does that mean you’ll be returning to… err… wherever you came from?”

Milla thought about it for a moment, “No, not yet. I have to make sure that he really did destroy the lance. I cannot take a chance and assume it was destroyed. Besides… that weapon took Gnome and Undine from me. I need to find them. They might still be trapped in that weapon.” Milla then looked at Jude, “And what about you? If I remember, you were looking for your friend. I assume in that chaos, you did not find him?”

Jude shook his head, “No… and… I have a feeling… that whatever it is, he’s either being held against his will… or he’s dead. I mean, King Nachtigal was behind that… that weapon! I’m not surprised if he needed Professor Haus to do something for that thing to work.”

“You do have a point.” Milla agreed. Milla wanted to say something else, when the plaza started getting lively.

“What’s going on?” Jude wondered. Several people in the plaza gasped or moved away in panic. Then, Jude saw what was going on. There was a squadron of Rashugal soldiers in the vicinity, all armed. Normally Fennmont only had guards patrolling in the open. However, soldiers being deployed meant that there was a threat to Fennmont’s security. And the people knew it. That was why they were frightened.

“Oh no…” Jude quickly grabbed Milla’s hand, “Come on Milla! We need to go!”

Milla was confused as Jude dragged her, “What do you mean? What’s going on?” 

Jude spoke quickly but softly, “I think those soldiers are looking for us. We can’t let them spot us. Come on!”

Jude pulled Milla behind a group of people and blended into the crowd. The group of soldiers moved around quickly, checking for any signs of the fugitives. At one point, one of the soldiers approached the crowd Jude and Milla were in, but he failed to spot them and moved on. After a while, the squad leader made a hand signal and the squad of soldiers started moving towards the seahaven. The soldiers were gone from the plaza. 

The people in the plaza immediately started chattering about why the soldiers were there. The biggest gossip was that the soldiers were looking for the ones that caused the explosion in Fennmont’s Research center. Jude checked to make sure there were no soldiers in the vicinity, and then he started making his way towards Talim medical school, pulling Milla with him.

“Where are we going?” Milla questioned, shaking Jude’s hand off.

“It’s not safe to be out in the public! If any of those soldiers catches us, we’re done for! We can hide in my dorm room and wait until things calm down for a bit.” Jude explained.

“I do not have time to waste, Jude.” Milla responded, crossing her arms on her chest, “I still have a mission. I must make sure the lance is destroyed, and I need to release Gnome and Undine from the lance.”

“I know, but going back to the research center is suicide.” Jude reasoned, “I mean… there are probably more soldiers now looking for us. We’d just get caught. Also, we need to get back our strength. We’re still exhausted from having our mana drained. We should at least rest up. You can go back to your mission after that. I’ll help you even!”

Milla wanted to refuse, but the Great Spirit Efreet supported Jude’s idea. “The young human is right, Lord Maxwell. Now that there is only I and Sylph left, you are quite close to being just a human vessel. The feeling of exhaustion you feel right now… is proof of that.”

Milla looked at the palm of her hands. ‘This is exhaustion…? So this… is a human feeling I’m experiencing right now?’ Milla thought. Although the feeling was ‘painful’, Milla had to smile. It was… refreshing. Milla sighed and gave Jude a tired smile, “Fine. I’ll accept your kind offers.”

Jude was glad Milla accepted it. “Alright, come on. I’ll bring you to my place. We should hurry before any of the soldiers find us.”

For Jude though, avoiding the soldiers was considered the easy part. Once he was at the dormitory, he had difficulty trying to sneak Milla in. After all, his dorm had a strict rule of not having anyone of the opposite gender. Luckily for him, the commotion caused from the explosion at the Laforte Research center meant that a lot of people wanted to find out what happened. So, the dorm was mostly empty. If he was caught, it would be tough trying to explain why Milla was in the male dormitory. Not to mention a Lord of Spirits, although he doubted anyone would believe that.

A few minutes later, Jude finally sighed in relief and opened the door to his room. Milla entered it and took in her surroundings. This was her first time inside the living quarters of a human. Even in Nia Khera, she had never been inside any of the villagers’ rooms. It was a great experience for the Lord of Spirits. 

Jude however, now started to realize the situation he was in. He was alone with a girl, in his room! He rationalized that, technically, Milla was a spirit but that was beside the point. Sure, he could talk with girls; he didn’t have any problems with that. But, being alone with a girl was different. And especially with one that had Milla’s looks, as well as her clothing choice. Jude blushed lightly now that he realized his predicament.

Milla noticed Jude blushing and went up to him, “Oh, I have read about this in a book. When certain humans are sick, their face gets red. Are you having a fever?” Milla held Jude’s face in the palm of her hands and then moved in closer.

“M-Milla! What are you-” Jude started protesting. Then, Milla’s forehead connected with Jude’s. Jude was dumbstruck at the situation he was in, but Milla was nonchalant about it. Her face was just a few inches away from Jude’s.

Milla then moved away, confused, “Hmm… I read that humans do this to tell if the other is sick… but I’m not sure how this works.”

Jude shook his head, clearing his thoughts, “Yeah, well… I-I’m not sick. It’s just, well… never mind.” An awkward silence fell between the two. Jude did not know what to say next. “Err… I’ll prepare something for us to eat! Yeah! Y-you must be hungry, right?”

Milla tilted her head to the side, “Hmm… hunger… I have never really experienced that feeling. The Great Spirits keep me nourished, so I never needed to eat.” A loud growl came from Milla’s stomach. Jude chuckled and Milla stared down at her stomach in  
wonder, “Huh? Did that… come from me? Strange…”

Sylph spoke in Milla’s mind, “Well… it’s normally Undine’s job to keep you fed. Efreet and I don’t really know how to do that so… without her, you’re going to be experiencing certain human traits.”

“I see…” Milla’s stomach growled once more and this time she actually blushed, “Well… I don’t know why, but this is rather embarrassing. I guess I shall take up on your offer to replenish my energy.”

Jude nodded and went to the small kitchen his room had. Since he was living alone, Jude learned how to cook for himself. He wasn’t the best cook, but his food was decent enough. After a couple of minutes, Jude was done. It was a simple curry chicken meal, but Milla, who had never experienced sniffing a proper meal, was close to drooling. The Great Spirits Efreet and Sylph had to remind her position as the Lord of Spirits to make sure she did not make a fool of herself.

After the two were done eating, Jude cleaned the plates while Milla sat at the dining table. She enjoyed the meal, but now she was back to her serious-attitude. She still had a mission. She needed to confirm that the lance was destroyed and to free the two remaining Great Spirits. She was preparing to leave when Jude came back.

“Milla! You can’t go yet!” Jude called out, “The soldiers are still looking for us, remember? Just… rest up first!”

Milla glared at Jude in the eyes, “Jude, I thank you for helping me. But, I cannot linger. Until I confirm that the lance has been destroyed, more spirits could perish.”

“I know… I want to help too.” Jude clenched his fists and Milla saw something in Jude that she had not seen before. He was angry as well. “I can’t believe that King Nachtigal is still trying to use that machine, even though it harms spirits. Not just that, he willingly sacrificed his soldiers without even feeling sorry! A king like that… will only bring danger to the people!”

“Jude…” 

Jude returned the stare to Milla, “That’s why I said I want to help you. I still want to look for Professor Haus but… I have a feeling… that it’s too late to help him.” Jude paused before he continued, “But going now is just a suicide mission Milla! We need to recover our strength. Just take a short nap. Once the situation dies down, it’ll make your mission much easier.”

Milla listened and found Jude’s reasoning… to be logical. She did not like the idea, but she had to comprehend the situation. She was already weakened. She lost two of her Great Spirits, and if she was careless, she would lose Efreet and Sylph as well. Also, she could feel her body was still tired from having her mana being drained. 

Milla sighed and relented, “Two hours. That’s all the time I’m willing to give up. And then, I’m leaving. With, or without you.”

Jude nodded with a smile, glad he managed to somehow convince the Lord of Spirits to listen to him. Jude went into his bedroom to prepare the bed for Milla. He could not let a girl sleep on the couch. However, when he came to get Milla, he found she was already sleeping upright on the couch. Jude sighed and went back to his room. He got his blanket and then covered Milla with it. It was the least he could do.

As Jude watched the sleeping Milla, he thought back to the man who saved him. And then, it suddenly hit him. “Wait... that guy… he called me by my name… how does he know my name?”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“This… this is impossible!” Nachtigal screamed in anger.

Nachtigal was surrounded with all of his guards. The guards were either dead or incapacitated. Ludger had defeated them all and even Nachtigal could barely touch him. Nachtigal released another furious battle cry, engaging Ludger in battle. Ludger blocked the sword with his lance and returned a counter-attack, slashing Nachtigal’s right forearm. 

Ludger had to admit, King Nachtigal was a powerful man. Even in his level 4 Chromatus state, he was still putting up a fight. He wondered how Jude and Milla managed to defeat the man in the original timeline. It was almost like fighting a child that refused to admit he lost. 

Nachtigal raised his sword and decided the next round would be his final one. He channeled a spirit arte to enhance his strength, and with that, he went in. He charged in and tackled Ludger with his shoulders, smashing against Ludger like a bull. The sudden increase in strength took Ludger by surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. He parried all of Nachtigal’s attack with his lance and dodged each of them like a dancer. With each miss, Nachtigal’s strength started to grow less and within a minute, Nachtigal lost it all. Ludger stepped in, elbowed Nachtigal in the gut and then delivered a sweeping slash across Nachtigal’s chest. Nachtigal cried in agony and collapsed on his back. Fortunately for Nachtigal, the wound on his chest was not a fatal one, but the fight was now over. Ludger was above Nachtigal and had his lance just an inch away from the neck.

“This is the end for you.” Ludger said, “I’m sorry… that it ended up like this. But I have to protect my friends. I want to make things right.”

Nachtigal spat some blood from his mouth to the side. Then, he grinned, “Over? It’s not over yet, stranger. Did you… actually think I’d risk it all…? I knew I’d lose fighting against you. But, that’s not where my trump card is.”

“What do you mean?” Ludger questioned.

Nachtigal did not answer and that frightened Ludger. Ludger checked his surroundings and then realized that the king’s advisor, Gilland, was nowhere to be seen. 

Nachtigal finally stopped laughing and then mocked, “I admit… you’re the better warrior. But victory does not come just through brute strength! You need… a trump card!” Nachtigal then looked at something behind Ludger, “Gilland! Is it done?!”

“Yes, your majesty!” A voice replied.

Ludger turned to the source of the voice and there was Gilland, at the controls of the Lance of Kresnik. Gilland’s fingers were dancing over the keys like a madman, typing in commands. With each key he hit, the Lance of Kresnik started to move. There were some bits of electricity sparking from the machine, and soon enough, the Lance of Kresnik had revived.

Earlier, during the battle, Gilland was the first to notice. If the Lance of Kresnik was destroyed, then the two Great Spirits that they caught earlier, Undine and Gnome, should have been released. The fact that they were still trapped inside the weapon allowed Gilland to consider the possibility that the Lance of Kresnik was still operational. He then told Nachtigal of his findings. And Nachtigal offered himself as a diversion.

Ludger stared in horror at the weapon, “But… I destroyed it!”

Gilland laughed and typed in more commands, “No! You almost did. You damaged the core, but it wasn’t enough to fully destroy it! All we needed to do was restart the weapon! You didn’t actually think a weapon of this magnitude could be destroyed so easily, did you?!”

“Damn it!” Ludger cursed. He turned around to finish Nachtigal off first at least, but found that Nachtigal was gone. Nachtigal was being pulled away by two guards. They had rescued their king when Ludger’s attention was on the weapon’s revival.

“Then I’ll destroy it this time!” Ludger exclaimed, sprinting towards the weapon, “The weapon has no affect on me!”

As Ludger neared the lance, Gilland typed in the last command, “Let’s test that theory out then.”

The Lance of Kresnik started aiming at Ludger. Ludger leaped into the air and prepared to toss his lance, but he was too late. The weapon activated and started draining him. At first, Ludger was fine. But a second later, Ludger cried out in pain. He failed to toss the lance and landed back on the ground. The Lance of Kresnik continued to drain Ludger’s mana and he collapsed on all fours, unable to stand up. Even in his level 4 Chromatus form, he could not fight the weapon.

“Just as I thought.” Gilland said with a smile, “You’re strong. The only way for you to fall under the weapon’s effect was to concentrate all of it on you, at a hundred percent output. Earlier when you arrived, the lance’s effect was spread out, so you managed to fight it. However, now that the Lance focus is all on you, even you cannot fight it.”

Ludger continued to struggle, trying to fight it. But every second that passed, his strength grew weaker. And then, Ludger’s Chromatus form slowly started to disappear. It dropped to level three, then to level two and finally, Ludger’s Chromatus form was down to level one. Then surprisingly, the Lance of Kresnik stopped its absorption. It stopped working again.

Gilland tried to type in another command, but the machine did not respond. “I guess you managed to damage the weapon’s core quite bad. But, it’s not completely destroyed. It can still be repaired.” Gilland then gave the signal to the guards. There were new reinforcements entering. “Now, we’ll take care of you.”

Although Ludger could still maintain a level one Chromatus form, he decided to save his energy. He dispelled the Chromatus form and returned to normal. All of the guards surrounded him, drawing their spears and awaiting Gilland’s commands. Ludger drew out his dual blades, making this his final stand.

Gilland was about to give the order for the soldiers to slaughter Ludger, when something caught his eye. On the control panel of the Lance of Kresnik, there was a new status regarding the machine. At first, Gilland thought it was an error. But he checked it. And checked it again. And then, he smiled to himself.

“Men! Capture the intruder. I want him alive!” Gilland commanded.

“Yes sir!”

Ludger fought as much as he could. Despite his weakened state, he was still an agile individual. He dodged each attack and struck back with venom. The guards were falling quickly, but more kept coming. In the end, Ludger was overwhelmed and finally, captured. 

Ludger’s last words before he lost consciousness escaped his lips, “Jude… Milla… sorry… but it looks like… this is all I could do for you.”

On the monitor of the control panel, it listed two entities inside. Gilland knew that was the two Great Spirits. It also listed all of the mana that the weapon absorbed. But what caught Gilland’s eye was the new entity it had listed. 

“Yes…” Gilland whispered, “I don’t know what this is… but if my theory is correct… we have caught… something even better than the two Great Spirits!”

XXXX

Hidden in the shadows, Agria witnessed the whole thing. She had no idea what was going on. As a spy, her mission was just to obtain information about the weapon and try to steal it. But she did not expect someone else to interfere. Not just that, the person managed to wipe out the guards together with Nachtigal.

“Well, I better let Gaius know about this. Hehehe…” Agria said as she disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Jude woke up, two hours had passed by already. He found Milla was already awake and from the looks of it, she was preparing to move. That was the deal after all. 

“I’m leaving.” Milla said, “I thank you for caring for me. I thank you for taking care of me, but I still have a mission.”

Jude nodded, “And I’m coming with you. I still want to help.”

“I’d prefer to not get you involved, Jude. If you didn’t wake up, I’d have left on my own. You don’t have any reason to risk your life. Just let me handle it.”

“No, I have every reason to be involved in this.” Jude said with resolve, “That weapon is too dangerous in anyone’s hands. If it’s destroyed, good. But, if it’s not, then I need to make sure it’s destroyed. And you already lost half of your power, Milla. You’re going to need my help.”

Milla stared at Jude for a while, and then she had a soft smile on her, “You humans are so… hard to read. But fine… you can come with me Jude, on one condition.” Milla indicated with her index finger the number ‘one’, “You don’t end up as a burden. If you start slowing me down, I’ll leave you behind.”

Jude chuckled and nodded, “I promise… I won’t hold you back.”

“Good. Alright, let’s go!”

Instead of going through the door, Milla chose to jump off the window. It avoided the hassle of being questioned why Jude had a female friend in the dorm, so Jude went along with it. His intuition was also correct. There were no soldiers patrolling the streets, only guards and they were little in number. They simply had to avoid their vision, so sneaking past them was easy. It also helped that there were no wanted posters for them yet. If not, trying to maintain a low profile from the populace would make sneaking much more difficult.

At the central plaza, Jude realized that the people were much louder than usual. Milla did not notice this as her mind was focused on the mission. At first, he paid little attention to it. But then, he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

“…that’s right. I heard they imprisoned him in Orda Palace. I guess the King personally wants to execute him.” A young girl said to her friend.

Her friend, a brunette, shrugged, “I’m surprised they haven’t executed him yet. After all the damage he caused, I don’t understand why they needed to hold him. He’s obviously guilty, right? What’s there to hold him in prison for?”

“Who knows?” The young girl responded, “Maybe they need to interrogate him. I mean, he was an intruder at the Laforte Research center. They probably want to know why he was there. And caused that explosion and all.”

After that, the two girls walked away while still chattering away. Jude caught up to Milla and quickly caught her attention.

“Milla! Did you hear what the girls said?” Jude questioned. Milla shook her head and continued walking. “Milla! They said they caught the intruder! But, we’re the intruders! That means they caught that guy who saved us! He didn’t manage to escape.”  
“So what are you trying to say Jude?” Milla responded.

Jude was shocked at Milla’s response. He fumbled on his words, “S-so we should help him! Th-they said they imprisoned him in Orda Palace!”

Milla stopped in her tracks and turned to Jude. And now for the first time, he felt frightened. Milla’s eyes looked like she could kill. “Jude… I told you, if you slow me down, I will just leave you behind. I have no time to waste to rescue a man I don’t even know. Even if I did, saving him is only secondary to my primary objective.”

“But… but he saved us!” Jude protested, “He risked his life and helped us escape! We have to return the favor! I mean…”

“Jude!” Milla interjected, instantly silencing the medical student, “I understand your sentiment. I won’t stop you if you wish to rescue him. But, I have my own mission. Until I determine that the Lance is truly destroyed for good, other matters take less priority.”  
“But even so…”

Milla closed her eyes, thinking of her next words. “I told you, Jude. I am the Lord of Spirits. As the Lord of Spirits, I have the responsibility of looking after the well-being of both human and spirits. Thus, if his life has to be paid over the millions of lives at risk, the path I must choose is obvious.”

“But… what should I do…?” 

Milla stared at Jude for a while, and then she turned and walked away, “That is your decision to make, Jude. Do you wish to help me? Or do you wish to assist the man that saved us? That is all up to you.”

And those were Milla’s parting words. She left him at the plaza, her words to leave Jude behind coming true. He needed to make a decision. Both were tugging at his morals. On one hand, he wanted to help Milla, for the sake of saving the future of both humans and spirits. On the other hand, the unknown person had saved him and Milla. He didn’t want to just abandon him. 

“What should I do…?” Jude asked himself. He had to make a decision, and he had to make one now.

CHAPTER END


End file.
